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easy vegan recipe

There are constant studies into the negative health effects of most foods. Think of all of the research that has been put into finding out whether meat is good or bad for us. Claims that a glass of wine and some dark chocolate once a day is good for you and counterclaims that reinforce the concept of alcohol and chocolate being as bad as ever. But you never read a bad claim about the health benefits fruit and vegetables. Unless you believe the school playground myth that eating more than six bananas in one sitting can cause you to overdose on potassium. So why is this? Well, it’s because fruit and vegetables are good for you in almost every way, shape and form.

How to best get all of your vitamins and minerals

The World Health Organisation recommends that we eat five portions of fruit and veg a day. This may be easy for some. Eating five portions a day can’t be that hard, right? However, if you have a hectic, on-the-go lifestyle and multiple mouths to feed every day, it’s easy to skip a portion or two now and then. An easy way to keep topped up is to drink your fruit and veg. Enter juicing. Juicing extracts all of the best parts of your fruit and veg.

Avoid store bought juices

Many of us make the mistake of assuming store bought, prepackaged juice is good for us. Well, juice is juice, right? This couldn’t be more untrue. Pasteurised juices from concentrate offer very little regarding nutrient content. Having sat on the shelf for months, their enzymes will have rapidly depleted. By juicing yourself, you know exactly what is going into your juices. You have no need to worry about extra added sugars or the juice being concentrated and topped up with water. You can also ensure that all the juice you consume is as fresh as possible. Home Juicing also allows you to experiment (which means fun!) with flavour combinations and build bespoke juices that cater to your personal needs.

Find the right juicer for you

Become a Juicer Cruiser and browse reviews of various juicers before making any purchase. Different juicers have varying pros and cons. Try to get a juicer that can be cleaned easily, as this will save a lot of hassle down the line. Other factors in your choice could be price, delivery options and the design of the juicer. You’ll want an appliance that fits in with the rest of your kitchen and most of all, that motivates you to get up and start juicing!

Prep your fruit and veg properly

Check which fruits and vegetables need pre-juicing preparation. The green leaves of carrots are toxic so should be removed before juicing. Apple seeds contain cyanide, so are best removed. Kiwi skins can create an unpleasant texture, and lemon skin can leave a bitter taste in your juice. Orange skin contains poisonous substances, so is best peeled off. Always wash your fruit and veg before juicing to remove any pesticides or dirt.

Drinking juice at least once a day will leave you feeling more energetic, radiant and active.While you’re at it, why not pick up some other new daily habits that can change your life for the better.

“To me, photography is an art of observation. It’s about finding something interesting in an ordinary place… I’ve found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.” – Elliott Erwitt

I completely agree with Elliott’s description of photography (as a new photography enthusiast). Everyone can see something that’s the same, but experience it and see something completely different. And isn’t that wonderful? The differences are what makes us beautiful and unique.

Life can be like this too; it can be enjoyed, it can be suffered, it can be felt and seen an infinite amount of ways. . . And who is right?

I heard the lovely author and intelligent man (Nathaniel Branden) once say how humans a lot of the time will choose being right over being happy. Personally I’m not big on being right, and I’m typically the first to accept if I did something wrong (it’s almost a knee-jerk reaction). However, I have met people who fall under this trap of being right. . . And they’re typically unhappy. These people tend to want hold their ground – and truth be told, a lot of times there’s no changing their mind. I just wonder, what good comes from being right, that one would be willing to put their happiness, their peace even, to the side?

Thinking about putting my peace, calm, and happiness on the line because of wanting to be right in a situation sounds exhausting. Yet I must admit that sometimes if it feels that I am being ‘attacked’ in some way, I react defensively; not because I want to be right, but simply because I don’t want to feel attacked. This is what I remember when someone won’t let something go because they want to be ‘right’ – I just tell myself, they’re probably feeling attacked like you have many times, and are reacting to that feeling.

I also find it helpful to remember that being right is not everything in life; we can be wrong and be a good person, we can apologize, we can accept it and change.

Happiness > Being right

It can be a really humbling and positive experience to accept that you’ve made a mistake. It makes you human.

Eating healthy doesn’t have to be so difficult. Normally, we stray from our nutritious diets because there are too many temptations put in the way of us. If you get rid of temptation, you’ll find that eating a healthy and balanced diet is a lot easier to do. In fact, you could end up eating a lot healthier without even noticing! Here are four tips that can help do just that.

Hide Sweet Treats

If you see unhealthy foods, you are going to be constantly tempted by them. So take any cookies, chips, and candies out of sight. Hide any sweet treats that you have in cupboards that you hardly go in. Try to put bowls of fruit and nuts out on display on your kitchen surfaces. That way, you will reach for a healthy snack whenever your tummy rumbles.

Don’t Throw Away Leftovers

Throwing away uneaten food is a big waste. If you don’t finish your meal, keep the leftovers to have for lunch the next day. You can also keep ingredients that you didn’t use for another recipe. Leftovers usually have a good shelf-life when stored in a fridge. To extend this shelf-life, you should place them in your freezer. One way to keep them for a lot longer is to vacuum pack them before you store them in a fridge or freezer. To do this, you need a vacuum sealer. Try to get the best vacuum sealer (here are some with reviews) that can help you store food for a few weeks.

Use Smaller Plates

One of the main reasons people have issues with their weight is because they eat large portions without realizing it. So to make sure you aren’t overeating, serve your food on smaller plates; here’s a great study that showed that we tend to overeat due to the size and color of our plates (shocking! I know). Be careful not to pile all the food up high on your plate, though! At first, you might feel slightly hungry after eating off smaller plates. That is just because your body is used to large amounts of food in one go. However, after a couple of days, you will get used to it and will feel full after a smaller meal. No matter the size of your plate, though, ensure half of it is taken up by fresh fruit or vegetables.

Drink Lots Of Water

Water is key for a healthy diet. You need to aim to drink at least eight glasses of pure water a day. The more water you drink means you won’t need to drink sugary or caffeinated drinks to stay hydrated. There are loads of ways you can encourage yourself to drink more water. One of the best ways is to keep a water bottle with you whenever you leave the house. That way, you won’t need to buy a drink while you’re out. If you don’t like plain water, try sparkling water. It tastes like a fizzy drink but doesn’t have all the hidden sugar.

Hopefully, this guide will help you eat a lot healthier without even trying! You might be surprised how much healthier and happier these tips help you feel.

This is an out-of-the-blue creation due to a huge salad craving I had yesterday. I wanted to create a salad I was excited about! I’ve had many salads during my life and most have not been that exciting; some tasty, some bland, some OK, but nothing that truly had everything I enjoy. This salad has all of the elements I enjoy, which are; fruit, cheese, plenty of greens and most importantly it’s easy to make!

Ingredients:

1 cup red oak lettuce

1 cup green coral

2 cups of spinach

1/2 butternut squash cut into 1 inch (2 cm) cubes

2 tablespoons of pomegranate molasses

3 tablespoons of goats curd or more to taste (can also use goats cheese)

1/2 a pink lady apple thinly sliced

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1/8 of a tablespoon of salt and pepper each or more to taste

For the dressing, I wanted something simple and tasty; bear with me because I know it is not your typical dressing – just believe me when I say it’s delicious!

Dressing ingredients:

1/2 cup of pomegranate juice (try to make it 100% pomegranate with no sugar added – it’s not needed 🙂 )

2 tablespoons of pomegranate molasses

1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar

1/2 tablespoon of honey

Pinch of sea salt and pepper or more to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 225C. Toss butternut squash with olive oil and add pepper. Place butternut squash on baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes flip butternut squash and bake for another 10 minutes. Once done, add sea salt to taste.

In a medium to large bowl add red oak lettuce, green coral, spinach, apple slices and pomegranate molasses; make sure to mix well.

Add butternut squash to salad once done baking and then add the goats curd (or cheese).

This has been a unique week; I am not only exploring and getting to know Australia’s rural side, I’m starting a new career (this beautiful project we call Yummy Habits!), I’m cooking more than ever before, I’m traveling from city to city every 5-7 days and dealing with surprises from time to time (having no cooking supplies, no stove/oven, a mini fridge that freezes your food, etc), and I’m also battling the traveling temptations that happen to all of us (you know, when the hunger strikes and you’re in a place you don’t know, with no mobile reception and only the equivalent of a seven-eleven to choose your food from). Regardless of the little obstacles that we may encounter sometimes, it’s always good to remember things aren’t as bad as they seem!

I’ve also had some lovely and exciting adventures exploring; like this one.

As they say, it’s the simple things in life that can bring the most bliss sometimes. I am now in a stereotypical house; with a full kitchen, oven, fridge, blender, stovetop, microwave, toaster…and I feel like I arrived to heaven. It’s truly the little things.

And now, back to those simple pleasures in life…sweet potato fries! They have easily become my favorite snack because they’re so easy to make and so delicious (who doesn’t like that?). I’ve been cooking them all week, multiple times per day; experimenting with different cuts, times, temperatures and spices. I read an infinite amount of recipes trying to find the perfect one but as we all know, perfection varies from person to person. I sometimes like my sweet potato fries very spicy! Would that be perfect for you? Maybe, maybe not. I want you to create your own version of perfect, hopefully with my guidance and support!

This recipe is the result of a lot of sweet potato fries making people happy and I hope they do the same for you!